Disrupted Melodies
by reminiscent-afterthought
Summary: The wires hummed beneath his fingers as his voice melded with the music. He gave his heart, his soul to fill the void he played for, but it was only when it was filled did the song become complete…
1. Part 1 of 2: Deharmonised

**Author's Notes**

Hi again *waves cheerfully*

I looked up the Japanese law regarding divorce for this fic, and this is pretty much what I found (though there were details lacking): in the case of a divorce by mutual agreement, in which both parties agree to the divorce, the husband and wife must determine, in the case of more than one child, which parent takes which child. In other types of divorce, the mother is given the preference. For this fic, I have chosen that Tomoko and Kousei divorced by mutual agreement, and thus were forced to split the twins by law. I couldn't find anything on visitation rights, but based off Digimon Adventure, with Yamato and Takeru being allowed to visit each other, I assumed that it had nothing to do with law, and was rather of personal choice.

Anywho, if that stuff didn't bore you to death, enjoy, and stay tuned for the second half.

Aargh, why does document manager mess up the formatting? Is that a frequent occurrence?

* * *

**Disrupted Melodies**

The wires hummed beneath his fingers as his voice melded with the music. He gave his heart, his soul to fill the void he played for, but it was only when it was filled did the song become complete…

Kouji M & Kouichi K

Rating: T

Genre/s: Family/Hurt/Comfort

* * *

**Part 1 of 2 – Deharmonised**

The strings hummed as the she drummed them, letting the sound meld into the melodies emerging from the frequent, mellow taps of the piano keys from the man. For a moment, the two simply enjoyed the harmony of their instruments, then the slender 20 year old opened her mouth and began singing, her husband joining her after a pause.

Soft giggles of content rewarded them as their twin children snuggled closer into their cots. They listened quietly, the younger stopping his restless fidgeting, listening to their parents lullaby.

'_Nen nen kororiyo okororiyo,_

_Boyawa yoikoda nenneshina.'_

The elder one blinked, tilting his head slightly so he faced his father playing the piano, before closing his eyes sleepily.

'_Boyano komoriwa dokoe it ta _

_Anoyama koete satoe it ta.'_

The younger one shifted again, snuggling closer to his brother, before closing his own, one hand gripping the other's, to make sure he would still be there when he woke.

'_Sato no miyage ni nani morata _

_Denden taikoni sho no fue _

_Sho no fue.'_

And then the couple let the last few notes fade into the air with the gentle breaths of their twin sons, and the two smiled at each other, before the mother leaned over the two bundles and planted a sweet and gentle kiss on each forehead.

** '**Oyasumi nasai,' she whispered gently. 'Sweet dreams.'

The other laughed lightly, looking at how both twins contently slept on, leaning forward himself to ruffle the elder's hair, knowing the younger would wake and wail if he attempted the same thing.

'We do spoil them, don't we Tomoko,' he said fondly.

She mirrored the look, scooping the bundles of joy into her arms, smiling at the content smiles on the identical faces, before moving to the door to tuck them into their shared cot.

Within her grip and still fast asleep, the elder shifted a little to accommodate the extra warmth, curling closer to his mother's chest while looping an arm around his brother. His brother too snuggled closer to the warmth. And in that new position, the twins slept on.

At times like that, the couple, happily married for two years, wished such moments could last forever.

* * *

Of course, like all things good, the happy marriage came to an end. The twins, now three and starting to develop rather distinct personalities had been sent to play in the garden; a rather common occurrence of late. It wasn't as though they argued though, or rather argued any more than the average family, but they were both starting to have second thoughts about marrying against their parents' wishes and for love rather than the customary arranged marriages, in regards to Kousei anyway, Tomoko's parents were more lax about who their daughter married, though they too had been concerned about the class boundaries and thus not entirely agreeable.

In any case, love had dwelled into mere cordiality, and even at three years of age, the boys could see the change in their parents' relationship. Life was more strained in the Minamoto household, and even as Tomoko, now solitarily, sung her boys to sleep, they blinked tiredly up at her instead of closing their sapphire orbs, and at times, she or Kousei would check on them in a half hour to find both still restlessly awake.

In the end, they decided it was simply better if they separated rather than risk the rift growing. There was likely more in the world than what they could attain keeping a love marriage turned loveless alive, so to speak.

However, neither of their expertise lay in Japanese law. Which is how they hit the stumbling block of splitting their twins after reaching a mutual agreement on all other matters.

Eventually, it was decided that Tomoko would take the elder child, while the younger would remain with Kousei. And with how the twins reacted when separated for even a short time, they decided it was for the best that they never met again.

* * *

The twins were cuddled against each other again, on their shared bed, now old enough to clutch stuffed animals as well as each other. It broke her heart to separate them, as she managed to pry Kouichi's fingers from his brother's shirt and wrap them around the black kitty instead, and then gathering the asleep form with a blanket into her arms.

The younger stirred a little, before curling into the heat left by his elder twin. Tomoko brushed her lips against his forehead again, one last time in farewell, before slipping out the door and to the first floor where Kousei awaited with her things. But just before the door slid shut soundlessly behind her, she whispered her final goodbye to her, their, son, too soft to hear but still stated.

'Sayanora Kouji,' she murmured, letting the silence drown her words, before making her way carefully down the stairs with her charge.

Downstairs, she stopped by the music room again, where the guitar she always played sat, For a moment, she considered taking it with her, but then she reconsidered. Let Kouji have something of his mother's...well, that and the bandana tucked under her pillow.

At the door, she couldn't help but ask one more time.

'Do you think we've made the right choice?'

Her now ex-husband looked as wrong-footed as she. 'I hope so.'

* * *

Before he managed to get back to sleep, he could hear Kouji wailing from his bedroom. Apparently, he had noticed the absence of his brother; it hadn't taken very long.

Steeling himself for an unwanted confrontation (knowing three year olds to be very formidable), he opened the door to the twin's, now Kouji's room, and ruffling the crying boy's hair.

He sniffled, before looking at his father. 'Kouichi ni-san,' he mumbled through his tears. 'I want Kouichi-ni.'

His father swallowed. He knew that memories began to commit soon after a child past three years of age, and the boys' birthdays hadn't been that long ago. Hopefully, that meant that neither would remember the other as they grew older, that they would be spared the pain of being unable to see each other, as the constant shifting made it impossible on a regular basis. That still left the fact that they would remember _now_, and there was really only one thing he could say to spare him that pain.

'There is no Kouichi.'

And once Kouji, after several firm repeats, more tears and an angry tantrum, had fallen back asleep, he could imagine the next confrontation which was sure to result.

'Where's 'kaa-san?'

He thought about that. Which was better? And in the end, he decided...

'She's...dead.'

Because if they were never to meet again, she was to him.

* * *

Nine years later, Minamoto Kousei still wondered if they had made the right choice. Kousei had been correct about one thing, Kouji soon forgot he had ever had a twin. Tomoko had been correct about one thing as well, the younger of the two twins had taken to the guitar like bees to honey...and yet, it made him sad as he heard the hollow notes float down the stairs, accompanied by the low murmurs of the childhood lullaby.

It sounded...wrong, somehow. He certainly had natural talent with the instrument, and he practiced enough to refine that, taking classes here and there as well as he could fit in with the shifting jobs that required them to move all over Japan. And his voice was certainly not the envy of any banshee, provided he deterred from his general one-worded or sarcastic responses, that is. And while it almost as good as Tomoko's lullaby, it lacked something.

And that made him think to the piano locked downstairs. And his elder son, off living somewhere with his mother.

At times like this, he would wish that choice hadn't been made.

But love's throws are not always as strong as they appear at first sight.

* * *

Upstairs, Kouji stopped playing and set the guitar up against the wall, restraining himself from throwing it in aggravation. It had belonged to his mother after all; his real mother that is, not his stepmother.

Not that Satomi wasn't a good mother; she was, if Kouji would give her half a chance. But he wouldn't, and only tolerated her as much as necessary even as she constantly reached out for him.

It wasn't as though he didn't care for her; he did, though part of him resented the place she took instead of his _real_ mother. But it was hard for him to adjust to having a mother after going the most important six years in his life without one, with simply the bandana that covered his long hair, the guitar which now leaned on the wall, the photo on the reverse frame that sat on his desk, and the lullaby whose words and tune he somehow remembered.

But try as he might, he could not reproduce them.

From his earliest memories, he could remember hurting because of the loss of his mother. His father tried to spend as much time as him with possible, but as he grew older and more independent, and the other's job became more demanding, he was forced to spend less time with his now only son.

And when he was not out and about, he tried his hand one more time.

Only for that to end up as empty as the last.

Silence drifted in with the afternoon sun, with not even the birds outside chirping on the hot summer day. Eventually, he took up the guitar once more, as he did once the silence's strike became too hard to bear.

Silence simply wasn't something he could abide by.

The wires hummed beneath his fingers as his voice melded with the music, singing once again the lullaby that for three years had been sung to him.

'_Nen nen kororiyo okororiyo,_

_Boyawa yoikoda nenneshina.'_

He raised his voice slightly, trying to add whatever intensity he could muster from his soul, singing so he could hear his mother's voice humming back, singing so the empty space in his heart, yearning for something he did not have, could echo back and state its fill...

'_Boyano komoriwa dokoe it ta _

_Anoyama koete satoe it ta.'_

...but it would only sound back in emptiness, and the hollow melodies which emerged from around the door frame.

'_Sato no miyage ni nani morata _

_Denden taikoni sho no fue _

_Sho no fue.'_

It simply wasn't a song meant for one.

* * *

**_Translations_**

The Lullaby

'_Nen nen kororiyo okororiyo,  
Boyawa yoikoda nenneshina._

'_Boyano komoriwa dokoe it ta  
Anoyama koete satoe it ta._

'_Sato no miyage ni nani morata  
Denden taikoni sho no fue  
Sho no fue.'_

Sleep, sleep, little one, sleep.  
You're a good baby, now go to sleep.

Do you know where your carer has gone?  
Gone to her village she won't be long.

What will she bring baby when she does come?  
A flute so lovely and a thunderous drum.  
And a thunderous drum.

_From_: Edo Komoriuta (Edo's Lullaby): Songs for Teaching, Using Songs to Promote Learning

Others

_Oyasumi nasai_: good night

_Sayanora:_ goodbye

_Ni-san: _(dearest) older brother

'_kaa-san:_ mother


	2. Part 2 of 2: Reharmonised

**Author's Notes**

And here's the second (and last) part. Enjoy.

And I've only played the piano once in my life, and never the guitar, so I don't know that much about them. What I do know of sheet music comes from an old friend from primary school. It came out better than I thought it would though...

* * *

**Disrupted Melodies**

The wires hummed beneath his fingers as his voice melded with the music. He gave his heart, his soul to fill the void he played for, but it was only when it was filled did the song become complete…

Kouji M & Kouichi K

Rating: T

Genre/s: Family/Hurt/Comfort

* * *

**Part 2 of 2 – Reharmonised**

'Who _are_ you?' Bewulfmon yelled furiously, parrying yet another blow from Duskmon, tired of the half-riddles he received and desperate for an answer.

'I am...' he paused, and suddenly sounded more human than monster. 'Kimura Kouichi. I'm your twin brother Kouji!'

He gaped at him. 'What? My twin?' He paused, before lunging again. 'You're lying. You have to be!'

But if he was, why did a part of him feel so...happy?

* * *

He had never known he had a brother till then...

'Kouichi?'

...and looking at the second floor landing, the slight blood stain, and the blue cap which rested on the final step, he was afraid he had lost him forever: the other half of his own soul, the void which he had tried for nine years to so desperately fill.

'Ni-san?' His voice betrayed his fear. He couldn't, just _couldn't_ lose his brother now, after _everything:_ the Digital World, all that had been left incomplete in this one...and their chance to grow up _together_ as they should have, he couldn't just lose it all! 'He-Where is he? Wheres Kouichi-ni?'

For his heart to finally be whole, he couldn't lose that.

* * *

The blank eyes gazed in nothingness, resembling the murky waters which resulted after a paint brush was washed in it too many times and no longer functions to its duty. It was the type of grey which absorbed light instead of reflecting it, and eerily mirrored the eyes that had stared back at him from beneath Duskmon's armour...but even those eyes had a spark of light in them. Not these eyes though.

He seized the other's shoulders and shook him, ignoring the murmurs and cries of the Doctors and nurses around him, or his friends behind. All that mattered was his brother in his grip, the blank eyes that denied all hope and the monotone beep that reinforced that.

'Kouichi? It's me. It's Kouji. I'm here now. It's okay. It's _okay_.' He repeated the words as if he was trying to convince them both, as if they could somehow call the soul back from its final resting place, as if they could somehow bring life back to those eyes.

'_Please,_ Kouichi...'

A single tear fell from his eyes, landing square on the other's forehead. A familiar symbol shone between them momentarily, but before anyone could question what they had seen, a tiny spark shone in the blank irises.

'Kouichi?'

The other blinked slowly as the light continued to seep it. 'Kouji...'

Then they both smiled, for one, a smile that had been denied in their world for years too long.

* * *

'Are you sure this is a good idea?'

'You did promise me. Don't tell me you're getting cold feet.'

Kouichi grinned slightly at his brother's nervous expression, though he couldn't deny he was anxious as well. Mostly about his mother's reaction.

After all, how did one expect their mother to react after meeting her other son for the first time in nine years?

'Why here though?'

'It's easier than you coming to our apartment. And it's closer to 'kaa-san's work, so I can bring here on her lunch break.'

'True.'

They fell silent after that, Kouji standing stiffly under the shelter of the trees while Kouichi paced to and fro.

'What are we waiting for?'

'Midday. It's still five to.'

'Oh.'

They stood, or paced, in silence for another five minutes, before Kouji's wristwatch finally struck twelve and Kouichi set off.

And during the time it took for him to return with his mother in tow, the younger twin was trying to deal with the sudden flood of emotions.

And then she was in front of her, both his hands in hers, and she was gasping out how much she had missed him, how happy she was that he was okay...

Directing blame would come later. For now, the three could simply enjoy their reunion.

* * *

'And you were telling me _I_ was getting cold feet?' Kouji asked, looking at the reluctant Kouichi while toeing off his sneakers.

'I didn't promise,' the other shot back, none too pleased that his own words were being tossed against him. 'Besides, how do you face the man you hated enough to kill him and his son for- '

He cut himself off as the door opened, hoping whoever was on the other side hadn't heard what he had just said.

'I thought I heard your voice Kouji?' It was their father. 'Did you bring a friend for dinner?'

'Umm...' Now Kouji was feeling slightly awkward. 'Sort of.'

'Well, it's certainly good to know you're making friends.' He opened the door the rest of the way, then stopped short. 'Kouichi?'

The said twin half backed behind his brother, while their father simply looked between them both, taking in the anxiety on the face in the twin he had raised, and the turmoil of emotions on the other's...though he noted, contraire to the statement, hatred was absent from it.

'Kouichi? I-' He looked up at him. 'Gomen, it's just-I-' For the moment, coherent words had failed him.

''tou-san,' Kouji interrupted. 'I met 'kaa-san.'

He nodded. 'I suppose you both want an explanation. Come in.'

They did so, and after the tale had been told, Kousei was surprised at the flood leaking from the eyes of his elder son.

'Kouichi? Did I say something wrong?'

He shook his head, but continued crying.

Bewildered, he looked to the younger twin for an explanation, who looked at his brother, and after receiving a watery nod, began their own tale: how they had met, the Digital World, and most importantly the creation of Duskmon which Kouichi had once recounted to his own brother upon the plains of Velgemon's final stand.

And once it was over, their father sighed.

'Kouichi,' he said firmly. 'That was a perfectly normal reaction.'

The other gaped at him, causing him to smile a bit painfully. 'Didn't Kouji tell you the times he had hated us both? Me for marrying Satomi and trying to give him a mother he didn't want, and Tomoko for leaving him?'

Kouichi shook his head, missing his brother's uncomfortable expression. Their father however, caught it, and so pressed on.

'No-one can blame you for hating me then. After all, as far as you knew, I had left you and your mother to fend for yourselves. And what you saw of our family didn't help matters there either.'

Kouichi didn't look entirely convinced, though his eyes were drying and a red tinge was starting to form on his cheeks.

'You both still have every right to be mad at the two of us,' he continued, only to be interrupted by two vehement shaking heads.

'No way,' Kouji said, voicing both their thoughts. 'Not when we can finally be a family again.' Then he paused. 'You're not going to separate us again, are you?'

He thought for a moment. 'My job's stable now, so we won't be moving any time soon. What did Tomoko say?'

The twins looked at each other, before Kouji turned back to his father. 'We...didn't ask her. I was just so...um...excited to meet her, that we just...' He broke of helplessly, as Kousei face-palmed his forehead.

'She got off easy,' he muttered. 'All right, I'll call her, and we'll work out something around the law.'

And then he almost fell of the couch as both twins cheered and leapt into his embrace, and he received them both warmly.

* * *

'Do you know the lullaby 'kaa-san and 'tou-san used to sing when we were kids?'

Kouichi stared incredulously at his twin. 'Why are you asking about lullabies right now?' he asked. Their parents, all three, were in the living room and talking to a family lawyer while the twins were upstairs in Kouji's bedroom, mainly to stay out of the adults' way. They were discussing living arrangements, mainly if there was a possibility for joint custody in the newer laws.

'Just answer the question.' Kouji absentmindedly drummed a few strings on his guitar.

'Yeah, I think so. The one that goes: _Nen nen kororiyo okororiyo...'_

'Yeah, that's the one.' He looked at the guitar he held. 'This used to be 'kaa-san's you know.'

'It was?' Somehow, he never imagined his mother playing it.

'Yeah...'tou-san said so. I used to play that lullaby on here, but for some reason it never sounded right. No matter how hard I tried.'

He drummed a few more random notes, and the sweet melody hung in the air before evaporating.

'Can you play?'

The elder twin shook his head. 'We just did the piano for few lessons at school, but we don't have an instrument at home, so I couldn't practice.'

That reminded the other of the piano in the basement which was collecting dust and cobwebs, dragged from one home to another when they moved but inexplicably never used. Until now.

'I've got an idea. Come on.' He suddenly grabbed his brother's wrist and dragged him downstairs...well, until the elder tripped on the top stair and gripped the banister to prevent himself from being dragged any further.

'Whoops?' the younger twin offered, grinning sheepishly at the death glare he suddenly found himself on the receiving end of.

'Enthusiastic much?' the other grumbled, though good naturedly as the death glare disappeared, making his own slow and careful way down.

* * *

'Are you sure you know what you're doing?' Kouichi asked, watching his brother disappear beneath the piano.

A muffled answer greeted him, followed by crashes and curses.

Sighing in amusement, he took a seat next to the piano, accidently pressing some keys in the process, causing a soft sound to ring out, followed by Kouji's head.

'It's on,' he said, rubbing his head.

'I realised. And why are we here anyway?'

'For you to play the piano.' And before Kouichi could stand in protest, his brother managed to weasel his way out completely, and shoved him back into the seat.

'Why?'

'Why not?'

Well...he couldn't exactly argue with that, so he began to play the only song he knew how.

'What was that?' Kouji asked, once the unrecognised tones faded.

'Mary Had a Little Lamb,' the other replied.

'A nursery rhyme?'

Kouichi shrugged. 'Sensei said it's good for beginners.'

He absentmindedly drummed the guitar he had brought with him again. 'Can you play the lullaby?'

The other shook his head. 'That was the only one I know how to play.'

'You know the tune.'

'I need the music sheet.'

'The music sheet?' He thought for a moment, wondering where he had put it, before going upstairs again, calling that he'll be back down in a minute.

He was, with the music sheet in hand, which he handed to his brother. 'Now you can play.' He said triumphantly,' but Kouichi shook his head when he saw the paper.

'I'm still a beginner Kouji,' he murmured. 'The notes are too complicated for me to play.'

Then he looked up into Kouji's shining eyes. 'I don't understand. Why is this so important to you?'

He should had known his brother would notice. 'I told you I used to play this, right?'

The other nodded.

'Every time I played, there was something missing. I'd play and _play_, but nothing ever changed that. I thought that maybe if I could just figure out what was missing, that hole in my heart would heal, but I never did, and it didn't either, until I met you, and 'kaa-san, and we've finally got a chance to be a full family. I gave _everything_ I had to play it properly, but I couldn't, all because there was something missing.'

He paused for breath, then continued. ''tou-san used to play it on the piano, and 'kaa-san on the guitar. It just sounds _wrong_ any other way. And I want to hear it, and play it, complete.'

'I get it,' Kouichi smiled, scanning over the sheet again. 'I don't recognise all the symbols on here, but I can try, right?'

He grinned up at his brother, who returned it.

'No telling Takuya though. I don't need him thinking I've gone sentimental.'

'Of course not.'

Kouichi traced the keys again, before tapping them in succession, trying to follow the sheet. At first, the stumbles were obvious, as they broke the melody, but as he began repeating the notes, they flowed in more conjunction, especially when joined with Kouji's guitar.

He stopped suddenly, looking at his brother, then the open door behind them, where their parents stood, watching, and listening.

Then they were playing again, and this time, singing the words as well, the lullaby that was always meant for more than just a single player.

'_Nen nen kororiyo okororiyo,_

_Boyawa yoikoda nenneshina.'_

Their voices blended better than their music did; after all, they both sung it to themselves, following the same tune, even if they never had together, while the stumbling and slightly uncertain fingers flying across the piano lacked practice and expertise, though they still flew with natural talent. That meant that the tone differed, but it was still passable, save the occasional stumble which still managed to hold the string.

'_Boyano komoriwa dokoe it ta _

_Anoyama koete satoe it ta.'_

The twins stopped suddenly, and Kouichi winced at the accidental high note that broke the otherwise acceptable tone.

'Gomen,' he mouthed.

Kouji just waved it away, working the strings again, and after a second, the elder twin joined into the final lines.

'_Sato no miyage ni nani morata _

_Denden taikoni sho no fue _

_Sho no fue.'_

And as their notes, their finale in perfect time, faded, they shared a smile.

With practice, it would echo as it had before, but it was at least now complete.

With two shared souls to play the piece, and another two to accept its gifts.

It was never meant to be played alone.

* * *

**_Translations_**

_Gomen:_ I'm sorry


End file.
